Pocket construction



Nov. 3, 1970 R. w. DANIELS POCKETCONSTRUCTION Filed March 19, 1969 INVENmnl um um IHH [II III ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1970 3,537,108 POCKETCONSTRUCTION Richard W. Daniels, 381 Cooper Road, Red Bank, NJ. 07701Filed Mar. 19, 1969, Ser. No. 808,484 Int. Cl. A41d 27/20 US. Cl. 2-2527 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A quick access safety pocketincludes a rear panel and a rectangular front panel secured along itsbottom and one side edge to the rear panel. Bands of overlappingcomplementary gripper fasteners of the fiber hook and pile type aresecured to the front panel rear top and free side borders and to therear panel in positions coinciding with the front panel fastener bands.The pocket may be positioned on a garment face with the front paneloverlying a garment pocket access opening or located adjacent to suchopening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally toimprovements in apparel pocket constructions and it relates moreparticularly to an improved garment mounted quick access safety pocket.

There are many articles which are commonly carried on the person whichare or contain items of value and to which rapid access is frequentlynecessary. Examples of such articles are keys, wallets, credit andidentification cards, money, travelers checks and the like. Not onlyshould such articles be readily rapidly accessible but they should besecure against loss and theft. Many forms of pockets are provided inarticles of apparel or have been proposed for holding such items butthese pockets are generally characterized by either being exposed to theeasy unauthorized or accidental removal of articles therefrom or are ofsuch construction and location to restrict the ready rapid desiredaccessibility to the pocket contents. Thus, the conventional safetypocket constructions possess numerous drawbacks and disadvantages andleaves much to be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of the presentinvention to provide an improved pocket construction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved safetypocket construction for articles of apparel.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro vide an improvedgarment safety pocket construction the contents of which are easily,rapidly and conveniently accessible to the wearer but to whichunauthorized access is minimized.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedsafety pocket construction which affords protection of other garmentpockets.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a safetypocket construction of the above nature characterized by itsreliability, simplicity, adaptability, versatility and wide application,and its case and convenience of use. The above and other objects of thepresent invention will become apparent from a reading of the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing whichillustrates preferred embodiments thereof.

In a sense the present invention contemplates the provision of a pocketconstruction comprising a rear panel, a front panel secured to said rearpanel and including an end edge and a side edge free from said rearpanel, and

bands of gripper type fasteners secured to the rear face of said frontpanel proximately along said free end and side edges, and bands ofgripper type fasteners secured to the front face of said rear panel andunderlying and complementary to said front panel fasteners, one of saidcomplementary fasteners being a plurality of hooks and the other aplurality of pile elements which when placed in overlapping face-to-facecontact interengage and resist separation by forces substantiallyparallel to the interfacial plane of engagement between the bands offasteners and are readily separable by peeling forces appliedsubstantially normal to said interfacial plane along the ends of saidbands.

The pocket may be formed of a rectangular panel folded along a medialaxis to form front and rear panels joined at their bottom edges and sewnalong a pair of side edges to a point below the top of said sewn pair ofside edges. The fastener bands extend along the inner face borders ofthe pocket panels spaced from the free edges thereof. The pocket rearpanel may be attached to any desired part of a garment. In accordancewith an alternative construction the rear panel is defined by a selectedsection of the garment, for example, a jacket inside lining, and thefront panel directly attached thereto, the fastener bands being locatedon the front panel and on corresponding areas of the garment panel.Advantageously, the front panel, in its closed condition, overlies agarment pocket opening.

The improved safety pocket construction has wide application, is easy touse and provides ready, rapid and convenient access to the contentsthereof by the wearer while preventing unauthorized access thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a partiallyfabricated pocket embodying the present invention and shown in a layflat condition:

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the finished mounted pocket shownin an open condition;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view thereof shown in a closed condition;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the presentinvention, the pocket being illustrated in closed condition; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view thereof shown in open condition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawingand particularly FIGS. 1 to 4 thereof which illustrate a preferredembodiment of the present invention, the reference numeral 10 generallydesignates the improved pocket illustrated as applied to an article ofapparel directly below a horizontal slit opening 11 to a conventionalgarment pocket such as that for a wallet or the like. The pocket 10 isformed of 2. rectangular blank 12 of any suitable flexible material suchas a knitted or woven fabric or the like. The blank 12 is divided alonga medial transverse line 13 to delineate a pair of similarly shapedfront and rear rectangular panels 14 and 16 respectively, the frontpanel 14 being folded along line 13 into superimposed overlappingsubstantially coinciding relationship with panel 16. A pair ofcoinciding side edges 17 of panels 14 and 16 are secured to each otherby a line of stitches 18 or other suitable fastening means from thebottom edge of pocket 10 to a point 19 below the top edge of pocket 10.The top and other side edges are free and unsecured to each other.

Suitably attached to the top and side borders of the inside face offront panel 14 parallel to the edges thereof 3 are. gripper typefastener bands 20 and 21 respectively, band 20 extending for thefullwidth of panel 14 and band 21 extending from the top thereof to apoint above the bottom thereof. Similarly attached to the top and-sideborders of the inside face of rear panel 16 are gripper type fastenerbands 22 and 23 respectively, complementing and substantiallycoextensive with fastener bands 20 and 21 and spaced a short distanceinwardly from the.

rear. panel 16 corresponding edges. The fastener bands are of knownconstruction one of each complementary pair having a plurality ofresilient fiber hook elements and the other having a plurality of loopor pile elements, and when placed in overlapping face-to-face contactinterengage and resist separation by forces substantially parallel tothe interfacial plane of engagement and are readily separable bypeelingforces applied substantially normal to said interfacial plane. Suchfastening means are marketed under the Velcro trademark. i

The rear panel 16 is suitably secured to a garment face by stitching orthe like, such as below a garment pocket opening 11. The front face ofpanel 14 may be decorated as desired, and may have applied thereto alabel or the like. In the closed condition of pocket 10 the panel 14overlaps panel 16 and the fastener bands 20 and 21 are in tightseparable engagement with fastener bands 22 and 23 thereby preventinginadvertent or undesirable opening of pocket 10. To open pocket 10 theupper left hand corner of front panel 14, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, isseized and drawn diagonally downwardly and forwardly to peel fastenerbands 20 and 21 from fastener bands 22 and 23 and to release thecorresponding edges of front panel 14 from rear panel 16, the frontpanel 14 foldingdownward ly as shown in FIG. 2 to completely open andexpose the interior of pocket 10 and afford full access to the contentsthereof. Pocket 10 is reclosed merely by turning the front panel 14 intosuperimposition with rear panel-16 and pressing fastener bands 20 and 21into fastening engagement with fastener bands 22 and 23. a

In FIGS. and 6 of the drawing there is illustrated an other embodimentof the present invention which differs from that described aboveprimarilyin that the rear panel is omitted as a separate entity fromthat of the garment and the front panel is joined along a bottom andside edge to a face of a garment, the underlying portion of such facefunctioning as the rear panel 16. In addition the front panel, in itsclosed condition, overliesan opening to a garment pocket.

Specifically, the improved pocket 26 includes a rectangular panel 27which in closed condition of pocket 26 has its upper part in overlyingrelationship with an opening slit 28 in a garment panel or face 29, theslit 29 affording access to a garment pocket 30 underlying panel 29.

The panel 27 is secured to garment panel 29 along the bottom edge ofpanel 27 and along a side edge 32 thereof from the bottom. of panel 27to a point 33 below the top thereof by respective lines of stitches 34and 36 or by other suitable securing means. Bands 37 and 38 of grippertype fasteners similar to bands 20 and 21 are positioned along the upperinner, border and along the side inner border opposite edge 32 of frontpanel 27, the band 38 extending downwardly to a point above the bottomedge of panel 27. A pair of horizontal and vertical gripper fastenerbands 39 and 40, complementary to fastener bands 37 and 38 arepositioned on and attached to gar: ment panel 29 in underlyingcoincidence with bands 37 and 38 when panel 27 is in a closedcondition.- It should be noted that fastener band 39 is located a shortdistance above pocket opening 28.

The operation of the pocket 26 is similar to that of I pocket 10 asearlier described. It should be noted that access to pocket opening 28may be had only upon opening of panel 27 which affords access to theinterior of pocket 27 as well as to pocket 26.

While there have been described and illustrated preferred embodiments ofthe present invention it is apparent that numerous alterations,omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spiritthereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A pocket construction in a garment comprising a rear panel; a frontpanel secured by stitching along its bottom edge and one sideedge tosaid rear panel, and the top edge and the other side edge beingdetachably secured to said rear panel, and bands of gripper typefasteners sccured to the rear face of said front panel proximately alongsaid top edge and side edge, and bands of gripper type fasteners securedto the front face of said rear panel and underlying and complementary tosaid front panel fasteners, one of said complementary fasteners being aplurality of hooks and the other a plurality of pile elements which whenplaced in overlapping face-to-face contact interengage and resistseparation by forces substantially parallel to the interfacial plane ofengagement between the bands of fasteners and are readily separable bypeeling forces applied substantially normal to said interfacial planealong the ends of said bands.

2. The pocket construction of claim 1 wherein said front panel is ofrectangular configuration and is secured to said rear panel proximate afirst side edge and bottom edge of said front panel, said fastener bandssecured to the inner face ofsaid front panel extending along a top edgeand a side edge thereof opposite said first side edge.

3. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said fastener bandproximate said front panel side edge extends from a point proximate acorresponding upper corner of said front panel to a point spaced above acorresponding lower corner thereof.

4. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said front panel firstside is secured to said rear panel from the bottom of said first sideedge to a point below the top thereof.

5. The pocket construction of claim 2 wherein said pocket is formed froma rectangular blank folded along a transverse medial axis into saidoverlapping front and rear panels with coinciding top and side edges,one pair of overlapping side edges being sewn to each other from thebottoms thereof to points below said top edges.

6. The pocket construction of claim 1' wherein said rear panel has atransverse slit formed therein providing access to a pocket disposedrearwardly of said rear panel, said front panel overlying said slit, andsaid top edge fastener band being disposed above said slit.

7. The pocket construction of claim 1 including a garment section havinga pocket provided with an access opening said front panel being mountedon said garment section and the top edge'of said front panel'beingdisposed below said access opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,118,789 11/1914 Miller 22511,134,458 4/1915 Jones 2251 2,442,415 6/1948 Kubovcik 2252 2,527,224.10/ 1950 Landy 2252 3,101,482 8/1963 Rahjes 2247 Y 3,372,438 3/1968Rinecker 2252 X 3,438,062 4/ 1969 Dobell 2247 3,462,764 8/1969 Caster2252 ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2247

